November 23, 2009

The Morning Wrap

Mine Explosion: The death toll from a gas explosion in a northern Chinese mine has jumped to 104, making it the deadliest blast in nearly two years, The Associated Press reports. A total of 528 people were working in the Xinxing mine at the time of the explosion Saturday at 2:30 a.m., the State Administration of Work Safety said.

Before KSM, There is AKG: The New York Times takes a look at the case of suspected terrorist Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a former inmate at Guantanamo Bay who, like Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, faces trial in the Southern District of New York. Says one of Ghailani's lawyers, "I'm the scout going through the forest before the main force comes through."

'Get Their Message Out': Scott Fenstermaker, a lawyer for another accused terrorist, Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, said that his client has expressed the desire for a trial despite his intention to admit his role in the attacks and seek “martyrdom” through execution, the Times reports. Ali is one of five, including Mohammed, expected to go on trial in Manhattan for planning the Sept. 11 attacks.

Monitoring Sex Offenders: The government's focus on prosecuting crimes against children shows now sign of slackening under the Obama administration, but sex offenders are using new technology to try to avoid state monitoring, The Washington Post reports. One example: A man on probation in Iowa for molesting a 9-year-old girl was recently caught downloading pornographic images on his PlayStation Portable -- while walking to his probation appointment.